Knob assembly



March 21, 1961 F. J. RUSSELL EIAL 2,976,073

KNOB ASSEMBLY Filed May 25, 1959 FRED J RUSSELL FRANZ J NETscHERT mmvrons.

MAXIM,

ATTORNEYS.

KNOB ASSEMBLY Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,339

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-352) The invention relates to door locks and is concerned primarily with a knob assembly attachable to a hollow spindle in such a way that it can be removed when desired.

Despite the fact that important portions of a door lock consist of the operating parts concealed within the door when the lock is mounted thereon, the operating portions of the lock set, namely, knobs on opposite sides of the door, have important mechanical aspects in addition to the purely utilitarian function of providing a handheld of attractive appearance.

In an industry which is as widespread and progressive as the industry directed to producing lock sets, there is a continuous trend of development in the direction of economizing in the cost of producing these devices without in any way detracting from the serviceability and appeal.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved knob or operating assembly for lock sets wherein a removable inner sleeve subassembly is provided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved inner sleeve subassembly which holds in place a lock mechanism within the knob but which permits removal of said lock mechanism through an opening in the face of the knob.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved operating assembly for door locks which is very firmly and dependably constructed of materials which make possible a relatively inexpensive product without, however, sacrificing desirable characteristics such as a firm and solid feeling device which has the desirable long-wearing character of the more expensive constructions which have been in vogue in the past.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a longitudinal section view of the composite operating assembly in assembled position.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the exterior subassernbly featuring the knob.

Figure 3 is an end view of the subassembly shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional View of the interior subassembly.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1 showing a spring-pressed pin mechanism therein in locked position.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the spring-pressed pin mechanism in unlocked position wherein removal is permitted.

Figure 7 is an exploded view of the parts which comprise the inner subassembly of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view rates Patent in a position rotated 90 from the position of Figure 1.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration, Figure 1 shows the composite assembly with the parts in the relationship they would have when mounted in a door and ready for operation. A tubular spindle 9 is surrounded by a hub 10 to which escutcheons (not shown) are normally attached. Near the outer end of the tubular spindle 9 is a sleeve 12 which serves as trim in order to present an attractive appearance when the entire device is assembled and ready for operation.

A knob subassembly indicated generally by the reference character 13 is shown separately in Figures 2 and 3. The knob subassembly comprises primarily two parts, namely, a body 14 and a reinforcement 15. To assemble the body upon the reinforcement, the customary practice is to form the reinforcement initially in the shape shown in Figures 2 and 3, the material of the reinforcement being preferably of relatively heavy gauge steel. The body has an outer end 16 initially spread wide enough to permit the reinforcement to be inserted into the body, after which the body and particularly the outer end is formed inward over the reinforcement to the shape best illustrated in Figure 2.

The body as shown has a neck 17 at the end which normally faces the door and at an inner end 18 of the neck there is a turned-over portion or shoulder 19. A hole 20 is made in the neck at one location, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Cooperable with the knob subassembly is an inner subassembly 21 consisting essentially of a split tube 22, a knob face '23, and an under plate 24. The inner subassembly 21 is shown in assembled condition in Figure 4 and the separate parts in Figure 7. In the under plate are openings 25 and recesses 27 which are in alignment with tabs 26 on the split tube. When the split tube is assembled with the under plate, the tabs extend through the openings and are bent over adjacent recesses 27 of the under plate, as illustrated in Figure 4-.

The knob face 23 is subsequently applied and attached to an outer edge 28 of the under plate by depressed portions 29 at a rim 30 of the knob face, so as to form a firm grip of the knob face upon the under plate when the depressed portions are pressed into position. At the midportion of the knob face is an inwardly turned flange 31, the inner edge of which may be adapted to rest upon the outer face of the under plate. The flange 31 defines an opening 32 for a tumbler lock mechanism adapted for use in the knob assembly. The tumbler lock is of substantially conventional construction and design, the details of which are not included in the present disclosure except that there is shown a cylindrical casing 33 adapted to house the operating parts and from which there extends a tail piece 34.

In the split tube 22 previously described, a split opening 35 is adapted for reception of a projection 36 of the casing 33 so that once in position it will not rotate. The pin tumbler lock is normally inserted into the inner subassembly 21 from an inside end 37 so that a shoulder 38 of the pin tumbler lock bears against the underside of the under plate 24 around the edge of a hole 39 therein, the outermost portion of the tumbler lock protruding through the opening 32 in the knob face.

In the tubular spindle 9 at one side thereof there is provided a relatively large recess 40 shown to good advantage in Figures 5 and 6 and on the opposite side is a relatively smaller recess 41. A pin 42 of special shape is adapted to be slideably mounted in a transversedirection ,so that a body portion 43 slides within the recess 40 and an extension 44 slides in the recess 41. A spring 45 normally backed against a keeper 46'tends to hold the spring in position so that it is biased against the pin 42 tending to move it in a downward direction as illustrated in Figures 1, 5 and 6. The spring keeper 46 may comprise an extension from one side of the split opening 35.

In the split tube 22 there is provided an opening 50 having a breadth and length sufficient to receive the extension 44 of the pin 42. When the parts are to be assembled, the knob assembly 13 is first slid into position so that the shoulder 19 extends over the tubular spindle 9 with the inner circumferential edge of the shoulder having a snug sliding fit over the exterior of the tubular spindle. The inner subassembly complete with the tumbler lock is then inserted into the knob subassembly so that the split tube 22 extends slideably over the exterior of the outer end of the tubular spindle. The insertion is continued until the rim 30 of the knob face enters the opening of the outer end 16 of the knob body to the position illustrated in Figure 1. During this portion of the assembly operation by use of a conventional pin or small screw-driver inserted through the hole 20 in the neck 17 of the body, the pin 42 is pressed upwardly against tension of the spring 45 so that the split tube can pass between the tubular spindle and the interior of the neck 17. When the split tube reaches its innermost position, the hole 59 will coincide with the recess 41 and the extension 44 of the pin will then be pressed outwardly through the recess and the hole thereby to interlock with the split tube and accordingly hold both subassemblies attached to the tubular spindle.

To prevent the knob subassembly from turning on the inner subassembly a projection 47 extending inwardly of the neck 17 is received in the split opening 35 of the split tube 22. A projection 48 on the split tube in turn is received within the slot 49 in the tubular spindle 9. By this structural relationship the handle is made non-rotatable relative to the tubular spindle.

It should be borne in mind, however, that when the parts are to be assembled, the tumbler lock by use of a conventional key must be turned to an unlocked position, as illustrated in Figure 6, inasmuch as it is necessary to have the tail piece 34 in a rotated position, permitting a. recess 51 in an opening 52 in the pin to fall in alignment with an adjacent corner of the tail piece. This is necessary in order to permit movement toward the tail piece a distance sufficient to clear the thickness of the split tube 22.

After the pin has sprung outwardly into interlocked position, the circumference of the opening 52 will clear the tail piece on all sides and thereafter as the tail piece is rotated by the turning of the key in the lock, the tail piece 34 moves to all rotational positions.

Obviously, from the foregoing description, it is not possible to remove the inner subassembly and hence the knob from the door when the pin tumbler lock is in unlocked position because the pin 52 cannot be depressed against the spring. As illustrated in Figure 5, the tail piece interferes with depression of the pin 42 when this relationship prevails. Removal as indicated is accomplished only when the pin tumbler lock is rotated to unlocked position, such as the position illustrated in Figure 6, whereupon the pin 42 can be depressed sufficiently to clear the thickness of the split tube and thereby permit the knob assembly to be withdrawn. Once the knob assembly has been withdrawn, the inner subassembly may be removed from the knob. When reassembly is desired, the same knob subassembly or a replacement can be applied over the tubular spindle and either the same or a new inner subassembly inserted into position. It is clear also that if this operation is undertaken for the purpose of re-keying, a different tumbler lock can be substituted for the lock previously employed merely by inserting'it into the split tube 22 after removal of the tumbler lock previously employed; or the tumbler cylinder could be re-keyed while removed.

From the foregoing description it will be appreciated and understood that the parts in their subassembled con ditions are extremely simple and the interconnection by means of the spring pressed pin makes a very simple and positive multiple means of attachment of the sundry parts of the device in assembled position. Because of the ease of disassembly, the parts can be readily changed and interchanged with a minimum of efiort which permits of considerable versatility and substitution of the various simple parts.

While we have herein shown and described our invention in what we have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of our invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An operating assembly for a door latch including a tubular spindle having a pin recess therein at a location intermediate outside and inside ends, said assembly comprising a knob having an outer opening and an inner opening in axial alignment with said first identified opening, a hollow tube extending through said knob and having one end thereof retained laterally by said knob adjacent said inner opening, an underplate having a central opening therethrough, means on said tube interlocked with said underplate, a face plate having a disengaged overlying surface to surface position with respect to the outer end of the knob and attached to said tube, said face plate covering the outer opening of the body and overlying the edge thereof, said face plate being confined by said underplate whereby to secure said face plate in assembled position on the tube, and a transversely acting spring-pressed pin in said spindle in releasable engagement respectively with said tube whereby to hold said tube in releasable position on said spindle independent of the mounting of the knob on said spindle.

2. In a door latch including a tubular spindle having a pin recess therein at a location intermediate outside and inside ends, a knob having an outer opening, a neck at the inner end of the knob having an inner opening, said neck being adapted to surround said spindle and having an access opening therein, an inner assembly comprising a split hollow tube extending through said knob having one end thereof retained by said neck adjacent said inner opening, an under plate having a central opening therethrough and having recesses therethrough intermediate the central opening and the perimeter, said tube having tabs thereon extending through said recesses and overlying the outside face of said plate whereby said under plate is anchored to said tube, a face plate overlying the knob and substantially covering the outer opening of the knob and said under plate, said face plate being confined between opposite sides of said under plate whereby to secure said face plate in assembled position on the tube, means forming an opening in said tube having an assembled position in alignment with the access hole in said neck and the recess in said spindle, and a springpressed pin extending transversely of said spindle adapted to engage said last identified recess and opening whereby to releasably retain the said tube on the spindle with the face plate overlying the knob whereby said knob is held on the spindle.

3. In a door latch including a tubular spindle having a pin recess therein at a location intermediate outside and inside ends, a knob having an outer opening, a neck at the inner end of the knob having an inner opening, said neck having a location surrounding said spindle and having a transverse hole therein, an inner assembly comprising a split hollow tube extending through said knob and having one end thereof retained by said knob adjacent said inner opening, an under plate having a central opening therethrough and having recesses therethrough intermediate the central opening and the perimeter, said tube having tabs thereon extending through said recesses and overlying the outside face of said plate whereby said under plate is anchored to said tube, a face plate overlying the knob and substantially covering the outer opening of the knob and said under plate, and an inwardly extending rim on said face plate located within said outer opening, said face plate being confined between opposite sides of said under plate whereby to secure said face plate in assembled position on the tube, a lock case in said tube, said case being rotationally confined by the split in said tube and confined endwise by said under plate, a tail piece on said case extending inwardly of said spindle, means forming an opening in said tube having an assembled location in alignment with the hole in said neck and the recess in said spindle, a spring-pressed pin extending transversely of the spindle adapted to engage said last identified recess and opening whereby to releasably retain the inner assembly, said tube and the knob on the spindle, and means forming an opening in said spring-pressed pin receptive of said tail piece, said opening having a breadth in one direction substantially equal to the breadth of the tail piece and a breadth in another direction in excess of the breadth of the tail piece whereby to enable transverse movement of the pin to release said inner assembly.

4. In a door latch including a tubular spindle having a pin recess therein at a location intermediate outside and inside ends, a composite operating assembly comprising a knob subassembly and an inner subassembly within said knob subassembly, said knob subassembly comprising a hollow exterior body having an outer opening, a neck at the inner end and an inner opening at the inner end of the neck, means forming an access hole in the neck, a hollow reinforcement member having inner and outer openings and underlying said body intermediate inner and outer ends thereof, said inner subassembly comprising a split hollow tube extending between the neck of said body and said tubular spindle, said neck having a snug sliding engagement with said tube, said tube having an aperture therein adapted to coincide with said recess and said access hole, a spring-pressed pin extendable into said aperture and said recess whereby to retain said tube on said spindle, an under plate having a central hole References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 525,877 Wardwell Sept. 11, 1894 2,728,597 Young Dec. 27, 1955 2,778,667 Young Jan. 22, 1957 2,801,123 Kubik et al July 30, 1957 2,842,389 1958 Muttart July 8, 

